Pomegranate Health Benefits – 16 Quick And Interesting Facts

Pomegranates are a delicious fruit and their seeds resemble little red jewels, they look and taste great when used in the cooking certain exotic dishes, or sprinkled onto salads. They have a whopping100+ phytochemicals, and have been used medicinally for thousands of years.

Read on for pomegranate health benefits -16 quick and interesting facts, and see what a powerful super food they are when it comes to boosting health and vitality, AND for keeping wrinkles at bay!

1. ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants in general are fundamental to good health, and need to be consumed in abundance if you want to feel simply amazing from the inside out, and let’s face it – who doesn’t?

Well, as luck would have it, pomegranates are choc full of the antioxidants that are so good for health, in fact their true antioxidant value is 3 times HIGHER than that of even green tea and red wine. This is due to the phenols that give them their stunning bright red colour.

Antioxidant rich foods of all kinds should be added to your diet daily for a full array of phytochemicals, antioxidants and nutrients. Please read this list of ‘Top 21 Antioxidant Foods’ and incorporate as many as you can into your life.

2. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Chronic inflammation is often the root cause of many diseases and illnesses as it induces oxidative stress. This inflammation can be due to a poor diet full of highly acidic foods, AND a combination of other environmental factors that mayalso accelerate the aging process.

Anti-inflammatory foods like those found in abundance on the ‘Plant Bases Diet’ can help make the body more alkaline, and this includes pomegranates. Their high antioxidant content can help prevent the damage caused by oxidative stress through chronic inflammation.

3. ENDURANCE DURING EXERCISE

Pomegranates should most definitely have the same reputation as beetroot juice when it comes to ability to boost physical performance.

Due to their super high antioxidant capacity they can help reduce muscle soreness during AND after exercise, plus fasten recovery time and reduce that oh so bad oxidative stress that is induced in the body during exercise.

4. ANTI AGING

Pomegranates are a super slick anti aging food – again down to those powerful antioxidants that lie within the phenols in its ruby red colour.

In fact, you have probably seen pomegranate extract being highlighted as the active ingredient in some anti aging creams. This is because those fabulous antioxidants can help delay the signs of aging, reduce wrinkles, AND give your skin a youthful, beautiful glow.

5. SUPER HIGH IN VITAMIN C

Just one Pomegranate contains over 40%of your daily vitamin Crequirements. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that is needed in the body for a strong immune system, repair of connective tissue and blood vessels, skin anti aging, and cardiovascular health, among many other things.

It is always good to get your vitamin C from natural sources as this will boost bio availability in the body – the body absorbs nutrients better from whole food products left their natural state.

Where possible, squeeze your own!

If you are drinking pre-made fruit juice’s to get your vitamin C then you will need to be sure that you either squeeze the fruit yourself, or make sure they are buying ONLY freshly squeezed and cold pressed products. This is because much of a juice’s vitamin C content will be lost in the pasteurization process which most supermarket juice’s have been through.

If you want higher levels of vitamin C and cannot get enough through diet alone then I suggest a natural vitamin C supplement that is derived straight from a food source and is NOT synthetic. For more about this please check out ‘Vitamin C supplements’.

6. ARTHRITIS

The flavenols in pomegranates can help block the inflammation that contributes to cartilage damage and osteoarthritis. Studies are currently underway about the effects it may also have on other kinds of arthritis and joint inflammation, which means adding pomegranate to your diet may help aid motility.

7. HIGH NUTRIENT CONTENT

A great source of nourishing nutrients: pomegranates help keep you healthy from the inside out, and are high in not only vitamin C but also vitamin K and vitamin E (another antioxidant vitamin), folate and potassium.

8. ALZHEIMER’S

As the pomegranate is so high in powerful antioxidants it is believed that this may help stall the progress of Alzheimer’s disease, and even help preserve your memory in the first place.

This, along with other antioxidant super foods such as turmeric could be a double whammy of protection for this debilitating illness. Try making your own ‘homemade turmeric paste’ for the relief and possible protection of a whole array of diseases.

9. LOWERS RISK OF HEART DISEASE

As one of the biggest killers of our times heart disease takes center stage: but daily pomegranate juice can help protect both the heart and arteries. Some studies show that it can help improve blood flow to the heart and stop arteries from becoming thick and stiff, which is a precursor to heart disease.

Eat pomegranates as a preventative:

Also, the pomegranates high antioxidant content can help bad cholesterol from accumulating in the first place, so it’s probably best (especially if you have family history) to get in there early and start drinking it now!

10. ANTI VIRAL

As well as high amounts of vitamin C, pomegranates also contain the immune boosting antioxidant vitamin E, and these work in harmony together to help ward off and fight infections and illnesses.

11. CANCER PREVENTION

Recent research (though still in the preliminary stages) has discovered that pomegranate may hinder the growth of prostate cancer. Multiple studies are now being done to investigate this further, but results so far are encouraging.

If you at high risk of prostate or breast cancer, then adding pomegranate to your diet as much as possible can only be of help considering the evidence so far. Pomegranate juice may also help fight pre existing cancer cells.

12. ANEMIA

Pomegranates encourage healthy blood flow in the body, and will also offer iron to the blood – thus reducing the anemia symptoms of tiredness, weakness, and dizziness, whilst boosting energy levels.

13. DIABETES

Although pomegranates are high in fruit sugars, they are not ‘free sugars‘ as they are attached to its unique phenolic antioxidants. At 6oz of juice per day, studies have shown that pomegranate juice did not raise blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics.

Pomegranates when consumed in moderation can help to lower blood sugar, and have been used a long time by ayurvedic practitioners to help treat diabetes – but obviously alongside a healthy low sugar diet as well.

14. DIGESTION

Pomegranates can help digestion by relieving and reducing the inflammation of the gut caused by crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, and other inflammatory bowel diseases.

However, it is recommended by most doctors to steer clear of pomegranate if you are already suffering from a bout of diarrhea.

15. FERTILITY

As pomegranates powerful antioxidant content has such a high impact on oxidative stress (which lowers fertility in women and can cause sperm dysfunction in men), it makes it a great aid for boosting fertility.

It also boost testosterone in both men and women which heightens sex drive, and makes chances of conceiving even higher.

16. DENTAL PLAQUE

Due once again to its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, pomegranate can reduce the inflammation caused by dental plaque, and also offer protection against some other oral diseases.

TO CONCLUDE – POMEGRANATE HEALTH BENEFITS:

Be sure to always either eat the fresh pomegranate whole, OR buy only the pure juice with ‘No Added Sugars‘. Be sure to read labels as there are lots of ‘juice drinks‘ on the market that only contain a very small percentage of actual pomegranate juice, they are NOT the same, and will actually be harmful to health due to excess refined sugars, flavourings and additives.

Eating the whole fruit is a delicious way to get more pomegranate into your life, either alone as a snack, or added to meals and salads.

Stefanie Taylor

I have studied nutrition for many years, and have since discovered that a plant based diet has been the most beneficial to my health and body. I have more energy and zest for life than I have ever had and this website is dedicated to helping others who wish to know more, and start out on this lifestyle.

24 Comments

brandonw4
· 29/04/2018 at 10:43 pm

This is pretty awesome information you got here.

I have ate maybe 2 pomegranates in my life, and one was here recently.

They are a bit of a hassle to prepare, but knowing all these benefits I should be more motivated to include these into my diet! It’s definitely worth it.

I would like to reference this page on my website sometime as I plan on using pomegrantes on my food lists.

Hi Brandon, well I’m glad you have had a more recent taste of pomegranates as they really are delicious, especially if you get a good one. Sometimes they taste better than others, I think this depends on where they have come from and the season etc. At this time of year in Britain they seem to be available in the supermarkets at their cheapest and best so I’m in pomegranate heaven at the moment (much to my boyfriends dismay because I make such a mess with them and they satin ha ha).

Yes. they can be a hassle to prepare unfortunately, but there are easy ways in which to do this. You should check out the YouTube video at the bottom of the post itself and you will see it can be pretty simple.

Hi Patsy, yes I grew up with pomegranates too, but as kid I didn’t really like them with all those hard seeds I thought they were such a pain to eat. Well now I love them and probably eat one every day, which prompted me to do this post. In my research I found out that they have all these amazing other benefits that I was unaware of which was quite mind blowing. So, I’m definitely keeping up my pomegranate a day habit ha ha. I’m glad you enjoy them too!

Howard
· 29/04/2018 at 11:27 pm

It’s so true that chronic inflammation is the root cause of many diseases and illnesses. So many people are unaware of this and thus do nothing to target the cause of the inflamation.

The American diet is full of highly acidic foods which contributes to the epidemic of inflammation. So many people are unaware that what they’re stuffing in their mouths is actually killing them.

Pomegranates are an example of an anti-inflammatory, plant -based food that can help get the body in an alkaline state, which in turn contributes to good health. But really, how many Americans know the difference between alkilinity and acidity as it relates to their overall health?

Hi Howard, thank you for your comment. I’m sorry it took me so long to reply but for some reason it ended up in my spam box. Really weird, and only pure chance that I saw it.

Anyways, you are just so right about the American diet, and the British one for that matter as we are just as bad over here. In fact we are the second leading country in the world for obesity…the US is first. Where did it all go so wrong hey? Also, the sad thing is, many other countries are now following suit with the standard American diet, and a lot of it can be blamed on worldwide fast food chains. I don’t need to name them I’m sure.

Luckily, the internet is doing us a favour in a way because the information about health and how food is killing us it at our fingertips. I can only hope that it makes a difference in time as more and more people want to help themselves.

The plant based diet is really taking off here in the UK with predictions of Veganism becoming mainstream in 2018, so as you can imagine this has got me rather exited in terms of my website. Fingers crossed!

Hi Stefanie. Thank you for this information about pomegranates, which we love in our family. I’m so glad to find out that it has so many health benefits and will be stocking up a few more after reading this.
One question: do you have any other way to eat them other than raw putting the seeds in a salad? I’d love to have a few more options.
Thank you. Gail

Hi Gail, yes I’m a total sucker for pomegranates too! I have one every day but I usually just eat as it is so I don’t have a big repertoire of recipes. However I did just have a quick scout on the internet and found a website that has quite a few interesting things you can make with them. Hope this helps.

Jamie
· 30/04/2018 at 4:24 pm

Great article! I loooove pomegranates. Anyone interested in this stuff should definitely check out the book Everyday Roots. It teaches you how to replace all the toxic chemicals in your life with healthy organic alternatives. Its completely changed my life and how I feel everyday!

Hi Jamie, thanks for your comment, I know pomegranates are awesome! And I will take a look at your review but I have taken the link off as I don’t want other peoples links in my comment thread simply because I have had a nightmare with it in the past, as in 404 errors etc. Sorry, but do appreciate your comment. Have a great day!

Nancy
· 01/05/2018 at 10:08 pm

Hi Nancy,hey that’s great you’ve given me another benefit to add to the list, and what a great one it is too. That’s brilliant because I also do a lot of posts on weight loss foods and I didn’t come across pomegranates for that reason yet. Cool!

Hi Susan, wow that sounds delicious, pomegranate tea literally made from scratch. I’m definitely going to try this one as it gives me some pomegranate variety. I usually just eat them straight out of the skin fresh, but have been looking for some new ideas and ways to eat them. Thanks for the tip!

Dear Stefanie
My toddlers really love eating pomegranate and I am really pleased that they have chosen their favorite fruit so wisely! Much less can be said of me, since I am not too keen on it even though I do try it from time to time. Now, after reading your posts, I shall be making a renewed effort and plan to stick to it!
It is just amazing the amount of goodness in one fruit!
Best,
Alenka

Hi Alenka, that’s great that your toddlers love pomegranates, I’d be really happy about that as I’m sure they will go along way to keeping them super healthy! They really are at their best when you can get hold of the really dark red coloured ones as the flavour is much more intense. I guess we can say that about most fruit really as it’s not all created equal. Buying them in season helps though! Thanks for reading.

KB93
· 01/05/2018 at 11:36 pm

Hi Stefanie,

I have always been the type of person who’d try a natural alternative over pharmaceutical drug when possible, and now I may have to make pomegranate a part of my diet. The only time I remember having fresh pomegranate was in a salad, but after reading the many benefits it has for the human body, I’m thinking of what stores around me sell them fresh.

Hi there, yes I’m definitely all for the natural alternatives too! In fact, I work in a herbal apothecary so I know all about them and have seen some amazing things due to people taking the natural route for their health. Pomegranates are just brimming with nutrients, and honestly I was surprised myself when I researched for this article and realised they were even better than I thought.

I’ve just been out and bought myself a box full as I now intend on eating one every day.

Hi Stefan, yes pomegranates are my favorite fruit these days, so good when you get a really nice dark red, ripe one. In fact, there is nothing better than ripe fruit, they all taste good. You take care of those fruit bushes as they have been put there for you to eat by mother nature ha ha.

sarah
· 05/05/2018 at 7:17 am

This is such a great and useful post about pomegranates, I love the facts you have mentioned about this super fruit. I love pomegranate and now I know all about it as you have shared a detailed facts about it, thank you Stefanie for such a great post.

Yes, I have one of these every day. It’s my evening treat and keeps me way from the chocolate. I’m glad you enjoyed the article, they really are a nutritious sweet fruit that really hit the spot, especially if you a having sugar cravings. Yummy!